First look at Enfield’s adventure bike

Royal Enfield Himalayan

Written by Ben Purvis, Date 7:09 PM

Royal Enfield has released the first pictures of the all-new Himalayan model that it will launch in early February. The shots show prototypes rather than the finished production bike but give us a reasonably good look at the new machine.

Although official technical details are still sketchy, it’s understood that the Himalayan uses a 410cc air-cooled single and is intended to be a true adventure bike. It’s the sort of thing that you’d happily ride through jungles or deserts, with simple, rugged and easily-fixed mechanical components and enough off-road ability to get through rough terrain.

Performance isn’t high on the list of priorities; the engine is said to make around 24bhp and offer a top speed of around 80mph or so.

Although they’re missing in these images, the finished versions will have panniers and auxiliary fuel canisters that clip to those distinctive frames either side of the tank. There’s a six-speed transmission and fairly sophisticated instruments including an on-board computer offering important information like remaining fuel range. That could be vital in places where filling stations might be few and far between.

Full details are expected when the bike is officially launched in a week or so.